The Pentagon is monitoring military activity in Ukraine despite news of a peace accord reached between Ukraine and Russia calling for a full ceasefire by Sunday, the Department of Defense said Thursday.
“The military situation has not changed materially,” said Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren. “We continue to see, and have for many months now seen, the Russians provide arms and equipment to the separatists in Ukraine.”
The peace agreement, reached in Minsk overnight Wednesday with the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany, also includes a pullback of weapons on both sides and a buffer zone between Ukraine and Russia.
According to reports, at the same time the leaders were negotiating the agreement, Russia sent a column of 50 tanks into Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.
The State Department welcomed the accord but said it must be followed by a full withdrawal by Russian from Ukraine.
“All the parties must show complete restraint in the run-up to the Sunday ceasefire, including an immediate halt to the Russian and separatist assault on Debaltseve and other Ukrainian towns,” Secretary of State John Kerry said.
The peace deal comes after continued pressure from NATO allies and a growing willingness in Congress to provide lethal aid to Ukraine to fight back against the Russian-backed rebels.
The State Department also said a ceasefire, if it is reached, “obviously … would impact” the administration’s considerations on whether to send lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine.
“We have not taken any options off the table,” said State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
The 10-month-old conflict has claimed an estimated 5,000 lives.
This article originally was published at 8:28 a.m. and has been updated.
